FAMILY MEMBERS DRAG UGMC TO COURT OVER DEATH OF RELATIVE

A family has filed a suit against the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) following the death of their relative.

A member of the family, Franklin Battanis Akiti, is said to have died at the hospital on June 29, 2020 – just a day after he was admitted.

The family, therefore, wants the high court to order the UGMC to produce the medical records of the deceased.

They are also seeking to stop the burial of the remains of their relative until they can verify “the cause of death.”

Citi News reports that the family said they only found out about the death on June 30 when they visited the hospital.

According to them, the corpse had also been moved to the Ga East Municipal Hospital ahead of burial without their notice.

In their writ, the family said the UGMC failed to inform them of any diagnosis prior to the death of their relative.

“..the UGMC has, since the demise of the deceased, failed to inform the deceased’s family of any diagnosis, prescriptions or recommendations prior to his death,” parts of the wrote noted.

“Upon further enquiry by the members of the deceased’s family, the Ga East Municipal was making preparations to bury the deceased’s corpse without the knowledge of any member of the deceased’s family.”

The family maintains that an “autopsy is a requirement for the establishment of the cause of death of a person who dies within 24 hours upon arrival in a medical facility for treatment.”

They are, therefore, seeking to stop the burial of the deceased as well as get the court to order the hospital to produce the medical records of their dead relative.